An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project”

Reference:

Wibisono, I.T.C. and Ita Sualia. 2008. Final Report: An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) Province and Nias Island, Indonesia, Period 2005-2008. Wetlands International - Indonesia Programme, Bogor.

ii An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island

Preface

Tsunami yang terjadi di penghujung tahun 2004 telah menyebabkan lebih dari 200.000 korban jiwa dan menghancurkan ekosistem pesisir di Propinsi Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) dan Pulau Nias. Selain itu, bencana ini juga bertanggung jawab atas hancurnya mata pencaharian penduduk yang tinggal di wilayah pesisir. Sehubungan akan kejadian tersebut, Wetlands International Indonesia Programme (WIIP) telah bekerjasama dengan WWF Indonesia dalam menyelenggarakan suatu proyek rehabilitasi pesisir yang dikaitkan dengan penciptaan alternatif mata pencaharian atau disebut proyek “Green Coast”. Berbeda dengan proyek-proyek lainnya yang pada umumnya lebih mengarah pada berbagai pembangunan infrastruktur dan tindak darurat, Green Coast (GC) justru lebih mengarah pada upaya-upaya perbaikan ekosistem pesisir dan pemberdayaan ekonomi masyarakat yang terkena dampak Tsunami. Melalui pendekatan “Bio-rights”, Green Coast memberikan kesempatan yang luas kepada masyarakat korban Tsunami (melalui kelompok atau difasilitasi oleh LSM lokal) untuk bersama-sama merealisasikan rehabilitasi ekosistem pesisi, sementara di sisi yang lain mereka juga memperoleh kesempatan untuk memperbaiki mata pencahariannya melalui pemberdayaan ekonomi. Untuk menunjang pelaksanaan kegiatan di lapangan, proyek juga melakukan upaya-upaya khusus dalam ranah kebijakan (policy), monitoring dan evaluasi, peningkatan kapasitas (capacity building) dan peningkatan kesadaran lingkungan (awareness raising).

Dalam pelaksanannya di lapangan, proyek dilakukan melalui dua tahap yaitu GC fase 1 (Juli 2005 – Maret 2007) dan GC fase 2 (April 2007 – Maret 2009). Setelah hampir empat tahun berjalan, proyek telah berhasil merehabilitasi sekitar seribu hektar wilayah pesisir dengan sekitar dua juta tanaman bakau (mangrove) dan tanaman pantai (beach plants). Tingginya prosentase tumbuh dari kegiatan rehabilitasi pesisir (rata-rata sekitar 65% - 85%) menunjukkan bahwa kegiatan ini terlaksana dengan baik. Dari aspek yang lain, proyek juga telah berhasil mendorong masyarakat untuk membuka peluang-peluang ekonomi dan merintis kembali kegiatan mata pencahariannya.

Meskipun demikian, dalam penyelenggaraannya, proyek juga menghadapi berbagai kendala dan faktor pembatas. Dalam tingkatan tertentu, kendala-kendala tersebut menyebabkan terganggunya kegiatan di lapangan sehingga proyek perlu bekerja keras untuk

An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island iii An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island iii

.Kajian pembelajaran ini secara khusus digali dari berbagai informasi dan data-data lapangan yang terkait selama proyek berlangsung. Dengan demikian, hasil dari kajian ini diharapkan dapat menyajikan informasi yang memadai mengenai realisasi proyek

Terlepas dari berbagai kekurangan dan keterbatasannya, proyek berharap bahwa hasil dari kajian ini dapat bermanfaat bagi pihak lain, baik pemerintah maupun non pemerintah, terutama yang berkepentingan dengan program-program serupa.

Penyusun,

Bogor, Desember 2008

iv An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island

Glossary and Abbreviation

ADB:

Asian Development Bank

BAPPEDA: Badan Perencanaan dan Pembangunan Daerah (Regional Planing Board)

BAPEDALDA: Badan Pengendalian Dampak Lingkungan Daerah (Regional Environmental Impact Management Agency)

BKSDA: Balai Konservasi Sumberdaya Alam (Natural Resources Conservation Agency)

BP-DAS: Balai Pengelola Daerah Aliran Sungai (Watershed Management Authority)

BRR Aceh-Nias: Badan Rehabilitasi & Rekonstruksi Aceh Nias The Agency for Reconstruction and Rehabilitation for Aceh Nias

CBO:

Community Based Organization

Departemen Kehutanan (Forestry Departement)

DKP: Departemen Kelautan dan Perikanan (Marine and Fisheries Departement)

GC:

Green Coast

IPB: Institut Pertanian Bogor (Bogor Agricultural University) IUCN:

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Kab.:

Kabupaten (district)

Kec.:

Kecamatan (sub district)

KK:

Kepala Keluarga (house holds)

KSM: Kelompok Swadaya Masyarakat Community Based Organization/ CBO)

An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island v

LIPI: Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (Indonesian Institute of Sciences)

LSM: Lembaga Swadaya Masyarakat (Non Government Organization/ NGO) Monev:

Monitoring and evaluation

NAD:

Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam

NGO:

Non Government Organization

Panglima Laot: traditional leader for maritime affair in Aceh Province PHKA:

Perlindungan Hutan dan Konservasi Alam (Forest Protection and Nature Conservation)

PPI: Pelabuhan Pendaratan Ikan (Fish Landing Place) Prov.:

Province

SD:

Sekolah Dasar (elementary school)

SDM:

Sumber Daya Manusia (human resources)

SGM:

Small Grant Manager

SMA:

Sekolah Menengah Atas (Senior High School)

SMP: Sekolah Menengah Pertama (Junior High School) Sea defense:

Consultant from Netherland for reservoar construction in Teluk Pusong Lhokseumawe

Tk I:

Provincial Level

Tk II:

District Level

TPI:

Fish Auction Place

UNSYIAH:

University of Syiahkuala

WALHI:

Wahana Lingkungan Hidup

WIIP:

Wetlands International Indonesia Programme

WWF-I:

The World Wildlife Fund for Nature Indonesia

vi An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island

1 Introduction

1.1. BACKGROUND

The Tsunami disaster of 26 December 2004 swept away everything along 800km of the coast of Nangroe Aceh Darusalam, causing the deaths and loss of 167 thousand people, while more than 500 thousanad others lost their homes and livelihoods. By December 2005, as many as 124 international NGOs, 430 national NGOs, tens of donor and UN organizations,

a variety of Government institutions and military institutions had been recorded, together with the community, to be working on rebuilding Aceh (BRR,2005).

The first step in the reconstruction effort focused mostly on the emergency response, particularly with regard to fulfilling the victims’ need for basic items such as food, clean water and general infrastructure. As conditions in the field began to improve, the emergency gradually subsided and work moved to other sectors, such as the rehabilitation of the coastal areas impacted by the Tsunami. This was undertaken by a variety of organizations, both government and non-government, through activities such as the planting of mangrove and other beach plants.

Green Coast (GC) is one among tens of coastal rehabilitation programmes in NAD Province and Nias. Funded by Oxfam Novib (Netherlands), its goal is the recovery of coastal ecosystems and livelihoods in the five countries hit by the Tsunami, i.e. India, Srilanka, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Four institutions are involved in its implementation; these are Wetlands International (WI), The World Widelife Fund for Nature (WWF), Both Ends and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In Indonesia, the GC Programme is managed by Wetlands International Indonesia Programme (WI-IP) together with WWF Indonesia and was carried out in two phases. Phase one started in July 2005 and finished in March 2007, while phase two began in April 2007 and is due to finish in March 2009. The four main activities are: (1) Coastal ecosystem rehabilitation; (2) Building environmentally friendly livelihoods; (3) Drawing up of village regulations that support environmental conservation efforts; (4) Environmental education campaign.

An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island 1

Since the start of the project, GC has facilitated 60 local NGOs and Community Based Organizations (CBO; Kelompok Swadaya Masyarakat) to train and assist Tsunami victims in rehabilitating the coastal ecosystem and at the same time restoring or creating alternative livelihoods in Aceh and Nias. In order to achieve active participation by the community, the local inhabitants were involved directly in the planning, preparation, planting and nursing of the seedlings. By March 2009 no fewer than 893 ha of Aceh’s and Nias’ coastland had been rehabilitated through the planting of mangroves (1.6 million seedlings) and beach plants (250,000 seedlings), and the conservation of coral reef.

The community’s active participation in this rehabilitation effort was rewarded in the form of collateral-free, interest-free “loans” of business capital to the CBOs involved. This fund could then be used to build alternative livelihoods. All the conditions (the CBO’s rights and obligations) pertaining to the provision of the business capital tied to rehabilitation success are contained in a work contract witnessed by community leaders. In principle, the purpose of this contract is to motivate the community to maintain the highest possible survival rate of the seedlings planted in the rehabilitation activity (above a target threshold of 75%). If this target was not met, then the business loan already given would have to be repaid (proporsioannaly with the number of survival rate/SR of trees). Conversely, if the target was achieved or surpassed, then the “loan” would be converted into a grant. This approach –known as biorights approach- proved to be very successful, as reflected by the high survival rate.

Implementation of Green Coast activities in Aceh-Nias was assisted by an Advisory Committee (AC) comprised of one representative each from BRR, Dinas Kehutanan (Forestry Service), Bapedalda (Regional Environmental Impact Management Agency), Panglima Laot Provinsi and an adviser on social and gender issues. The Advisory Committee took part in the selection of proposals submitted to the project by the various local NGOs and CBOs, and supplied input/guidance towards improving activities in the field.

During almost four years of implementation in the field, this project faced a variety of constraints. Aside from these constraints, the project acquired much valuable experience and many valuable lessons. On this basis, an assessment is needed to identify the various experiences and lessons which can inform those parties concerned with implementing coastal rehabilitation in Indonesia.

1.2. A CLOSER LOOK AT GREEN COAST

“Green Coast” was developed as an active response to the 2004 Tsunami disaster that took hundreds of thousands of lives and caused incalculable damage to infrastructures and environments in several Asian countries. Together with WWF, IUCN and Both ENDS, Wetlands International developed a programme for coastal rehabilitation (such as mangroves, beach forest, lagoons and coral reefs) combined with alternative livelihoods development in those areas impacted by the Tsunami. (such approach, in which rehabilitation is combined with livelihoods, is known as Bio-rights, see Box 1).

2 An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island

The main aim of GC is to help restore the people’s livelihoods and the coastal ecosystems. In Indonesia (Aceh and Nias), the programme (using a Bio-rights approach) is carried out by the local inhabitants themselves in the form of groups (each group may consists 15 – 25 individuals). As a token of appreciation in return for their rehabilitation works, they receive business capital and technical support to enable them to re-establish their livelihoods.

Figure 1. Bio-rights programme was first developed by WI-IP at the Pesantren village, Pemalang District, Central Java in 1998. The programme has combined the re-greening of the ponds dikes and the beach (left) with livelihoods such as goat farming (right)

Box 1: What is Bio-rights?

Bio-rights is an innovative financing mechanism targeted at reconciling poverty alleviation and environmental conservation. Through provision of micro-credits for sustainable development, the approach supports local communities to refrain from unsustainable practices and to actively involve in conservation and rehabilitation of the environment. Micro-credits are converted into definitive payments upon successful delivery of conservation services after termination of a contracting period. Being an integration of market-driven instruments and more traditional conservation and development measures, Bio-rights offers a novel approach in which global stakeholders pay local communities for the provision of ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, fresh water supply and biodiversity. As such, the approach unites the conservation and development aspirations of NGOs, governments, private sector and local communities alike. Projects in the field have demonstrated that Bio-rights can serve as a powerful tool towards addressing the major environmental challenges of our age including climate change and biodiversity loss. In the light of major efforts in relation to REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) development and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Bio-rights offers huge potential for translating global objectives into concrete action.

An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island 3

Unlike many other coastal rehabilitation projects in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) province, this project adopts one principle, which is that the rehabilitation and management of coastal ecosystems should actively involve the community in enriching the biodiversity and improving/building the livelihoods of coastal communities. There are three inter-related main components in its management, which are: 1) Environment and social-economy

Assessment, 2) Community Based Rehabilitation of Coastal Ecosystems and

Livelihoods through the Small Grant Facility, and 3) Policy Development. These are explained in more detail below.

a. Environment and social-economy Assessment

The Environment and social-economy assessment is a technical assessment of various aspects of the Tsunami’s impact relevant to the coastal ecosystem rehabilitation to be done. Specifically, it encompasses an evaluation of the Tsunami’s impact on the environment, identification of the types of wetland impacted, assessment and analysis of the potential/ prospects for the ecosystem rehabilitation programme. Besides this, the assessment also collects other information concerning the constraints and limiting factors related to the implementation of coastal rehabilitation. As the community is both the target and the main actor, this assessment also covers economic, social and cultural matters. Thus, the pattern of empowerment and the form of community partnership in the programme can be determined appropriately. The role of women (gender issues) also receives attention in the assessment. The themes discussed focus on the role of women in ecosystem management, preferred types of livelihoods, and roles in decision making.

The assessment team comprised an ecologist, economist, rehabilitation specialist, sylviculture specialist, soil scientist, biodiversity specialist, and limnologist. Besides carrying out a comprehensive technical assessment, the team also recommended various options for undertaking coastal rehabilitation and livelihood improvement.

In detail, this assessment provides basic information on many issues: What was the condition of the environment before the Tsunami? At which sites has the coastal ecosystem been destroyed or damaged? What do the people affected by its impact need? What is the local community’s attitude towards coastal ecosysytem rehabilitation? What are the community’s rights in coastal rehabilitation (what benefit can the community get from coastal rehabilitation)? Is it possible to rehabilitate or start up livelihoods? What options can be provided in coastal rehabilitaion? How can livelihoods be restored without damaging nature or the environment?

Conducting an assessment also means talking with the community and discussing rehabilitation activities with local decision makers. What do they need? How can their knowledge of coastal rehabilitation be utilised? What are their ideas about the recovery of livelihoods? How can they benefit from coastal rehabilitation?

A comprehensive assessment is always conducted at the beginning of an activity, prior to activity in the field. In this case it was conducted twice: first in August – December 2005 (under Green coast 1) and then August – November 2007 (under Green coast 2). Further information on these can be found in the next chapter.

4 An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island 4 An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island

As the Tsunami not only devastated coastal ecosystems but also ruined people’s livelihoods, GC took the approach that community involvement and empowerment was the key to success in the rehabilitation of coastal ecosystems and livelihoods. The implementation and management of this were carried out by WI-IP.

The “bio-rights” approach to the community based rehabilitation of coastal ecosystems and recovery of livelihoods was applied through the facilitation of small grants. Coastal rehabilitation was combined with economic empowerment. With this approach, the community received business capital to start or revive a livelihood. In return, they had to give their services to the environment by undertaking coastal rehabilitation. [Explanation regarding Bio-Rights can be read in the “ Eijk, P. van & R. Kumar, 2008. Bio-rights in theory and practice. A financing mechanism for poverty alleviation and environmental conservation. Wetlands International, Wageningen, the Netherlands].

The mechanism for this was to provide capital loans to those members of the community prepared to take part in rehabilitating the coastal ecosystem. If their efforts were judged successful, in that at least 75% of the trees were still living after one year, then the loan would be converted into a grant. If fewer than 75% survived, then part of the loan would have to be repaid, equivalent to the proportion of trees that had died. This approach also raised the community’s sense of responsibility towards the rehabilitation work they were doing.

c. Policy Development

One of the missions within this component was to convince and encourage the government, donor institutions, the private sector and various other parties involved in carrying out environmentally friendly reconstruction. The rebuilding of Aceh is expected to bring as much benefit as possible to the coastal communities. More, it can also provide momentum for rebuilding better than before. Of course, this can only be done if rebuilding is carried out conscientiously, takes into account all related aspects and is supported by clear, appropriate policies. In this context, development and guidance on policy is needed.

Development and guidance (facilitation, giving input and support throughout the process of formulation) were needed in order to direct policy towards environmentally friendly or “green” reconstruction. This component specifically influenced policy on coastal resources management at district, provincial and national levels.

The development and supervision of policy was done through dialogue with government and

a number of institutions involved in coastal rehabilitation. It was also supported by sustained communication through a variety of media, to promote the “Green Reconstruction Guidelines” and other guidelines to encourage sustainable coastal reconstruction. Communication was directed mainly at raising community awareness of the importance of coastal resources.

An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island 5

Activities connected with policy were implemented by WWF in coordination with WI-IP and other relevant parties. In certain matters, WI-IP provided technical assistance to support the development of policy.

Besides the three main components above, the project also included measures to support activities in the field. Monitoring and evaluation (monev) was conducted periodically by project management with the assistance of a technical monev team to monitor developments and the implementation of the project in the field. To improve the capabilities and technical capacities needed by the community and the local partner (NGO) for the rehabilitation work and for economic empowerment, the project provided training, exchange visits and comparative studies to coastal areas in Aceh (even to Java) packaged within a Capacity Building component. Another target was to raise community awareness through the Awareness Raising component. A range of awareness materials such as leaflets, posters, booklets were produced and an environmental campaign conducted. The Communication and Networking component dealt specifically with coordination and communication between project management and their partners in the field, as well as parties outside the project.

1.3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSESSMENT OF LESSONS LEARNT

The aims and objectives of assessing lessons learnt from the implementation of this project are as follows:

1. To supply sufficient general information concerning the project, including its concept, approach, aims, objectives and target.

2. To obtain data and information related to implementation throughout the duration of the project

3. To document the processes applied during implementation in the field

4. To identify the stakeholders and their individual roles in project implementation in the field

5. To identify the constraints, challenges and obstacles in project implementation

6. To summarise experience acquired during project implementation both from management and from the local partner in the field

7. To summarise valuable lessons obtained during project implementation

8. Make recommendations and suggestions for improved project management in the future.

6 An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island

2 Realization and Achievements of

Green Coast 1

At the start of Green Coast project phase 1 (GC 1: July 2005 – March 2007), a comprehensive (bio-physic & social -economy) assessment was carried out by the assessment team along the coasts of Aceh and Nias Island that had been impacted by the Tsunami. Its purpose was to bring to light a variety of data and information from the field as a basis upon which to develop options that could be applied in the project. This comprehensive assessment was one of the main components of GC 1.

The information and options derived from this assessment formed the basic wherewithal for proceeding to the next component “the rehabilitation of coastal ecosystems and livelihoods through small grants”. In this regard, a unique approach was taken, subsequently termed “Bio-right”. This approach enabled the community (through groups or facilitated by a local NGO) to participate in ecosystem rehabilitation and at the same time have the opportunity to rebuild their livelihood through the “small grant” facility. A detailed explanation of the Bio- right approach is given in a separate chapter.

To optimize results in the field, the project paid special attention to the local partners, by providing technical training, awareness raising and conducting regular monev. To ensure that the rehabilitation and reconstruction currently in progress in NAD Province and Nias Island (both within GC and without) continued to be carried out, the project made special efforts which were accommodated in the policy development component. This represented the project’s commitment to continuous, environmentally oriented reconstruction and rehabilitation. Besides developing several policy documents, the project also facilitated the formation of a network of local NGOs and was active in holding a variety of discussions.

An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island 7

2.1. COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT (AUGUST – DECEMBER 2005)

The assessment was made in the area impacted by the Tsunami disaster, which covered most of the coast of NAD (east, north and west coasts), Simeleue island and Nias island in North Sumatera province. For the purposes of the assessment, this was divided into six (6) regions, as follows:

• Region I: the villages (Desa) Alus-alus and Labuhan Bakti in the Teupah Selatan Sub- district of Simeulue District

• Region II: Desa Cot Rambong, Kuala Trang and Kuala Tuha in Kuala Sub-district of Nagan Raya District, Desa Pucok Lueng and Lhok Bubon in Samatiga Sub-district, all in Aceh Barat District

• Region III: Desa Lham Dingin and Desa Tibang in the Syiah Kuala Sub-district of Banda Aceh urban district; Desa Neheun and Desa Lham Nga in the Darussalam Sub-district of Aceh Besar District.

• Region IV: Desa Moawö, Desa Siheneasi and Desa Lahewa in Lahewa Sub-district, and Desa Onolimbu in Sub-district Boawolato Sub-district, all in Nias District.

• Region V: Desa Pasi Rawa and Desa Pasi Peukan Baro in Kota Sigli Sub-district and Desa Kupula in Simpang Tiga Sub-district, all in Pidie District.

• Region VI: two (2) districts/urban districts, which are: Kota Lhokseumawe urban dis- trict, Sub-district Sub-district Muara Dua, covering two villages (Desa Menasah Mee and Desa Cut Mamplam); and Aceh Utara District with four (4) sub-districts covering twelve villages.

(ACEH BESAR & BANDA ACEH ) (PIDIE )

(LHOK SEUMAWE& ACEH UTARA )

(ACEH BARAT & NAGAN RAYA)

(SIMEULUE)

(NIAS)

Figure 2. Sites for comprehensive assessment for “Green Coast”

8 An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island

This assessment took four (4) months from August to December 2005 and was done in 4 stages as follows:

• Stage I, from 30 August to 27 September 2005, encompassing regions I to IV •

Stage II, from 22 December 2005 to 6 January 2006, to recheck and make an addi- tional survey of the lagoon in Regions II and III

• Stage III, 24-25 September 2005, conducted by the CPSG (Campus Professional and Scientific Group) team for the sites within region V, Kabupaten Pidie district

• Stage IV, 19-22 December 2005, covering Region VI (conducted by the Survey Team from Unsyah, with technical support from WI-IP) for the sites in Kota Lhokseumawe urban district and Kabupaten Aceh Utara district.

In this assessment, the team collected a variety of data and field findings, and researched the potentials and other information relevant to the project. Based on the results of this assessment, the team submitted their input and recommendations to the project manager for the purpose of accomplishing activities in the field. Below are several important points made as a result of the comprehensive assessment:

a. Identification of wetlands impacted by the Tsunami

A large part of NAD’s wetlands were severely damaged. In Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar, almost all the coastal ponds (tambak) were so badly ruined that they could not be made to function again. The mangrove forest in that area suffered the same fate. On NAD’s west coast, the wetlands impacted by the Tsunami were lagoons, swamp forests, rice-fields and peat land/forest.

b. Changes to the coastal landscape

The earthquake followed by the Tsunami changed the landscape of Aceh’s west coast and the islands of Simeulue, Banyak and Nias as a result of the up and down movement of the Earth’s crust. Along the west coast of Aceh almost the entire coastline experienced subsidence with the result that the sea advanced inland up to 200 metres. Meanwhile, on the south coast of Pulau Simeulue island the coastline was uplifted, thereby raising the coral reef which then died as a result. A similar thing happened to Nias island, where the north coast was uplifted and the south subsided. The illustration below shows the alterations to the landscape in NAD province and Nias caused by the earthquake/Tsunami.

An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island 9

Lhok Bubon

Cot Rambong

Labuhan Bakt i

Onolimbu

Lahewa

Figure 3. Changes to the coastal landscape in NAD province and Nias as a result of the earthquake and Tsunami

The main issues arising from these changes to the coastal landscape changes are as follow: •

The loss of mainland also means the loss of people’s land, and the process of acquir- ing a new site as a replacement is not easy. This issue received full attention as it was

a problem that GC would have to face. •

As regards land availability, this loss of terrain also means a reduction in the amount of potential land for rehabilitation as well as livelihood development activities.

• Uplifting has increased the area of raised coastland. Field observation shows that this appearance of new lands has potential to cause conflict of interests considering that there is as yet no clarification of its ownership status or use. This is also a matter re- quiring attention in order to prevent future problems.

• From the viewpoint of pedogenesis, this newly emerged land is still at an early stage of soil formation on the coral reef flats exposed. The question of land suitability, both physical and chemical, will therefore be a significant constraint.

10 An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island 10 An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island

In this assessment, the team identified a variety of prospective sites for rehabilitation with mangrove or beach plants. In Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar, Aceh Jaya, Nagan Raya and Aceh Barat, the coasts had been especially severely devastated by the direct impact of the Tsunami, whereas in Lhokseumawe and Bireun the impact had been much lighter. In Nias and Simeulue islands, however, the Tsunami had not been felt so much. On these two islands, it was land subsidence and uplifting that had caused the most damage to the coast. To identify options and sites for rehabilitation, the team carried out an in depth analysis and evaluation of the land’s carrying capacity at several locations impacted by the Tsunami. Based on this evaluation, the team identified the following options for rehabilitation:

Planting mangrove

This aimed to repair the mangrove forest degraded by the Tsunami, as well as several other areas suited to mangrove. The activity would comprise intensive planting and enrichment planting. Intensive planting was the alternative for rehabilitating truly devastated areas (where most of the vegetation had been lost or killed) the condition of whose substrate and hydrology was, nevertheless, suitable for mangrove. Thus, mangrove would once again grow in these areas. Enrichment planting was intended for locations where damage had been light and part of the mangrove stand still remained but biodiversity was poor.

Prospective sites for planting mangrove were: {

Degraded mangrove lands

Ruined and abandoned tambak pond lands

Riversides

Along water channels/canals

Mudflat areas and river estuaries • • • • •

Rehabilitation of sandy beaches

Rehabilitation of sandy beaches was by planting species of beach plants wherever possible. Nevertheless, not all parts of the beach possessed good prospects for rehabilitation. Particular sites to avoid included sandbanks and beaches periodically submerged by seawater. Rehabilitation is best done on beaches that are stable. Two types of location recommended for rehabilitation were:

Pes-capreae formations indicated by pioneer vegetation cover such as Katang- Katang (Ipomea Pes-capreae) and Kacang Laut (Canavalia marina).

Barringtonia formations characterised by more diverse cover, not just pioneer herbs but also several tree species, in particular Putat (Barringtonia asiatica), Ketapang (Terminalia cattapa) and Nyamplung (Callophyllum inophyllum).

An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island 11

Regreening around the village includes roadsides, empty public lands, and gar- dens. Species to be planted should be Multi Purpose Tree Species (MPTS) or others such as Candlenut/Kemiri (Aleurites moluccana), Belimbing Wuluh (Averhoea bilimbi) and Mango (Mangifera indica). Besides these, planting can also

be directed towards species with specific aesthetic and shading functions such as Mahoni (Swietenia mahagony) and Ara (Ficus spp).

d. Options for economic activities

During the field survey, the team made an inventory of the range of economic activities pursued by the community prior to the Tsunami and evaluated the Tsunami’s impact on various types of livelihood. By combining livelihood history, prevalent conditions in the field, constraints and opportunities in the future, the team then formulated several options or recommendations for the types of livelihood that could be developed, including: fish farming, fish capture, small businesses (fish trading, etc.), animal husbandry, poultry farming, and small enterprises. Nevertheless, decisions on the choice of livelihood must be in accordance with the community’s needs, capabilities and willlingness.

2.2. COMMUNITY BASED REHABILITATION OF COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS AND LIVELIHOODS THROUGH SMALL GRANTS

The GC 1 project, which was the first phase, required several months for socialisation and coordination with stakeholders in Aceh, which included identifying and achieving cooperation with potential local partners. More thorough socialisation was carried out to ensure that the prospective local partners truly understood the Bio-right concept. Project management took this opportunity to give them (local NGOs, CBOs, and the public) the chance to develop proposals for activities which combined coastal rehabilitation and livelihoods with the Bio- right approach. The following are some of the main criteria required in proposals developed by local partners.

• The proposed site should be Tsunami-damaged coastal wetland in the NAD-Nias region •

The ecosystem rehabilitation activity proposed must combine ecosystem rehabilitation with livelihood building

• The project does not fund ecosystem rehabilitation done through physical construction •

The project does not fund livelihood building whose implementation is not environmen- tally friendly and is based directly on natural resources

• The institution has good credibility and strong motivation in community empowernment •

The maximum time limit for the proposed activity is one and a half years with a maxi- mum budget of ± Rp 500 million or • 50,000. In this regard, the project specifically divides the Small Grant fund into three categories: type A: d” • 5,000, type B: • 5,000 - • 15,000, type C: • 15,000 - • 50,000. (at that time 1 • was equal to Rp 10,000)

12 An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island

The proposal selection process was in three stages: 1) submission of proposals to the GC project management; 2) evaluation of proposals; and 3) decision making. To ensure transparency and professionalism in the selection of proposals, the project formed an advisory committee made up of representatives from elements/institutions/organisations concerned with reconstruction and rehabilitation in NAD, who were: BRR, Panglima Laot of Aceh Province, national NGO (WALHI), Regional Environmental Impact Control Board (Bapedalda), Provincial Forestry Agency and adviser from women and gender organization.

The selection was conducted in four waves. The project finally approved 59 proposals comprising 14 proposals of type A, 41 of type B and 4 of type C, distributed through districts in NAD Province (Nagan Raya, Aceh Barat, Simeulue, Sabang, Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar, Pidie, Bireun, Lhokseumawe, Aceh Utara), Nias and Nias Selatan. In total the approved proposals involved 50 local partners, comprising 39 local NGOs (LSMs) and 11 Community Groups (CBOs). These local partners were scattered through 12 Districts/Urban Districts in NAD province and Nias-Sumatera Utara. In all, the number of rehabilitation activities carried out by local partners in the field totalled 59 (note: there was 1 local partner managed more than 1 site). The greatest concentration of rehabilitation activities was on the north coast of Aceh, which numbered 22 and absorbed 45% of the total funding.

Figure 4. Flow chart showing the proposal selection mechanism from submission to approval

An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island 13

Table 1.

Summary of proposal selection process; numbers submitted and numbers approved in Green Coast 1

Category TOTAL Submitted Approved Submitted Approved Submitted Approved Submitted Approved Submitted Approved

Type A

(< IDR 5 million)

Tipe B 9 6 29 21 12 6 8 8 58 41

(IDR 50<X< 150 million)

Tipe C 0 0 12 2 7 1 1 1 20 4

(IDR 150<X< 500 million)

TOTAL 24 15 43 24 27 11 7 9 103 59

a. Realisation and achievements of GC 1 – an overview

The largest volume of activities was on the north coast of Aceh, where there were 22 activities with a total allocation of IDR 3,756,000,000. Ranking second and third by volume were Aceh’s west coast (12 activities, fund allocation IDR 1,726,000,000) and east coast (10 activities, fund allocation IDR 1,330,000,000). On Pulau Simuelue island there were 6 activities with total fund allocation of IDR 470,000,000. The smallest volume was on Nias island with 4 activities and an allocation of IDR 380,000,000.

Figure 5. Map showing distribution of activities under Green Coast phase 1 (area of red circles indicates number and volume of activities in each region) and the table (right) showing the total amount of fund distributed in each region (in iDR)

14 An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island

The total fund distributed by GC 1 in field activities was IDR 8.43 billion. Of this, IDR 5.11 billion was used to realise the coastal rehabilitation programme, and IDR 2.56 billion to run the economic empowerment programmes. The remaining IDR 0.77 billlion was used to support capacity building and awareness raising activities.

The funds were distributed to the local partners in each stretch to achieve the target set. The size of the fund in each stretch was strongly influenced by the number of local partners involved and the condition/potential of the coast to be rehabilitated. As shown in Table 2, the funding required for ecosystem rehabilitation was greater than for livelihood activities.

Table 2. Distribution and allocation of funds for each stretch

Stretch

Total

Livelihood Rehabilitation

(million rupah)

2. West Coast (Aceh Barat, Nagan Raya)

3. North Coast (Banda Aceh, Sabang, Aceh Besar)

4. East Coast (Pidie, Bireun, Aceh Utara, Lhoksemawe)

105 275 Other: Capacity building and environmental awareness

5. Nias

- - raising programmes

From the table above, it can be seen that the rehabilitation component required a larger portion of the funds compared to livelihood. The north coast absorbed the most funds (total IDR 3.75 billions) for both ecosystem rehabilitation (IDR 2.56 billion) and livelihood building (IDR 1.9 billion), while Nias absorbed the least: total IDR 0.38 billion with IDR 0.275 billion for rehabilitation and IDR 0.105 billion for livelihood building. The diagram below compares the budget for livelihood and rehabilitation activities for each stretch, in percentages.

Figure 6. Percentage allocation of funds for each stretch

An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island 15

The allocation is larger for ecosystem rehabilitation than for livelihood building because of the outlay required at each stage of rehabilitation, such as the costs of supplying seedlings, purchasing materials, transportation, labour, planting, fencing the plants and nursing them. For livelihood building, the allocated funds were managed directly by the group, through an internal mechanism thus enabling the members to manage the funds themselves for their own economic activity.

To support implementation in the field, the project management undertook coordination at provincial and district levels by supplying routine information on activity developments to BRR, provincial government (Pemda Tingkat I), district government (Pemda Tingkat II) and relevant government offices, in particular the district Regional Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bappedalda Kabupaten/Kota). Project management also asked the local partners to coordinate/ communicate in a similar way with the regional government in their own work area.

b. Realisation and achievements of coastal ecosystem rehabilitation activities

Volume of activities

The main form of coastal rehabilitation undertaken in the field was the planting of mangrove (see table 4) and beach plants (see table 5) like Coconut (Cocos nucifera), Sea-pine (Casuarina equisetifolia), Nyamplung (Callophyllum inophyllum) and Ketapang (Terminalia cattapa). Other forms of rehabilitation were also found, such as the designation of Marine Protected Areas (Daerah Perlindungan Laut) and facilitation of the drawing up of Rural Regulations (Peraturan Desa) to protect coastal areas.

From the 59 activities implemented in Aceh and Nias during the period of GC 1, overall the project succeeded in rehabilitating a total area of 638 hectares. Of this, 206 hectares were planted with 1,004,000 mangrove seedlings and 394 hectares with 187,600 seedlings of other assorted species. In addition to planting, the local partner in Sabang also developed a policy that gave protection to 38 hectares of marine and coastal ecosystems.

Table 3. Summary of activities realised under Green Coast 1 Area rehabilitated/protected

Stretch

Mangroves

Beach plants

Area Total protected

Seedlings ha Seedlings ha Ha Seedlings ha

147,500 189 Barat, Nagan Raya)

2. West Coast (Aceh

38 567,300 295 Aceh, Sabang, Aceh Besar)

3. North Coast (Banda

83 Aceh Utara, Lhoksemawe)

4. East Coast (Pidie, Bireun,

16 An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island

Details of mangrove planting

The largest planting of mangrove in GC 1 was on the north coast of Aceh, where 105 hectares were planted with 501,000 mangrove seedlings, constituting almost half of the total project volume for this activity. On Aceh’s east coast, 55 hectares were planted with 275,000 seedlings. On Nias island, the local partner succeeded in planting 100,000 mangrove seedlings on an area of 20 hectares. On Simuelue island and the west coast of Aceh respectively, planting was successfully carried out on 14 hectares (68,000 seedlings) and 12 hectares (60,000 seedlings).

Figure 7. Mangrove planting achieved (area, number of seedlings) during the period of GC 1

The data above indicates a strong/close relationship between the volume of mangrove planting and the availability of land as well as the environmental carrying capacity in each region. The volume on Aceh’s north and east coasts is higher because both sites possess muddy shores and extensive tambak pond lands. In contrast, Aceh’s west coast is dominated by wide sandy shores and only a very small area is suitable for mangrove.

Most of the mangroves planted were of the species Rhizophora mucronata. This species was chosen because:

The propagules are easy to obtain

It is cheap

It is easy to handle

The chances of it growing successfully (survival rate) are high

An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island 17

A few local partners and villagers also had experience of planting two other species of Rhizophora (Rh. apiculata and Rh. stylosa) and some other species of mangrove such as Bruguiera gymnorrizha, Ceriops spp., Avicennia spp, Xylocarpus spp, and Sonneratia spp, even though this had been in very limited numbers. The following Table lists species of mangrove planted in the field during GC 1.

Table 4. Mangrove species planted during Green Coast 1

No Local name

Scientific name

Family

Abundance

1 Bakau kecil

Rhizophora apiculata

Rhizophoraceae

2 Bakau kecil (banci)

Rhizophora stylosa

Rhizophoraceae

3 Bakau besar

Rhizophora mucronata

Bruguiera gymnorrhiza

Rhizophoraceae

5 Bogem

Sonneratia sp

Sonneratiaceae

6 Api-api

Avicennia sp

Avicenniaceae

7 Buta-buta

Excoecaria agallocha

Euphorbiacae

8 Tingi

Ceriops sp

Rhizophoraceae

Planting of beach plants

The largest volume of sandy beach rehabilitation achieved was on the west coast of Aceh, where 177 hectares were planted with 75,500 seedlings. On the north coast, 152 hectares were planted with 66,300 seedlings. On Simeulue island, the local partner succeeded in planting 21,500 seedlings over an area of 35 hectares. On Aceh’s east coast and Nias island respectively, planting was achieved on 28 hectares (11,300 seedlings) and 2 hectares (1,000 seedlings). In general, these beach plants were spaced well apart at a distance of 3m x 5m or 5m x 5m.

Figure 8. Beach plant planting achieved (area, number of seedlings) during the period of GC 1

18 An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island

The species most frequently chosen by the local partners for sandy beach rehabilitation was the sea-pine Cemara Laut (Casuarina equisetifolia) because of its high resistance to open beach conditions, even in quite extreme conditions. Ketapang (Terminalia cattapa) and Nyamplung (Callophylum inophyllum) were also widely planted because of their pioneer characteristics, ranking as second choice after Cemara Laut. In addition to these species, the local people are very familiar with Kuda-Kuda (Lannea caromondalica) as it is easy to grow from simple stem cuttings

Table 5. Species of beach plants commonly planted on the beach

No Local name

Scientific name

Family

1 Cemara laut

Cauarina equisetifolia

Casuarinace

2 Kelapa

Cocos nucifera

Arecaceae

3 Ketapang

Terminalia catappa

Combretaceae

4 Bintaro

Carbera menghas

Aponynaceae

5 Mimba

Azaracta indica

Meliaceae

6 Pandan Laut

Pandanus tectorius

Pandanaceae

7 Waru

Hibiscus tiliaceus

Malvaceae

8 Sukun

Arthocarpus communis

Moraceae

9 Beringin laut

Ficus retusa

Moraceae

10 Bayur laut

Heritieria littoralis

Sterculiaceae

11 Putat laut

Baringtonia asiatica

Lecythidaceae

12 Ulim

Eusideroxylon zwageri

Lauraceae

13 Beringin

Ficus benyamina

Moraceae

14 Bunot

Calophyllum inophylum

Guttiferae

15 Pinang

Areca catechu

Arecaceae

16 Asam jawa

Tamarindus indica

Fabaceae

17 Jamlam/ Juwet

Eugina cumini

Myrtaceae

18 Bambu

Bambusa sp

Poaceae

19 Kuda-kuda

Lannea coramondalica

Anacardiaceae

20 Rambutan

Nephelium lapaceum

Sapindaceae

21 Mangga

Mangifera indica

Anacardiaceae

22 Coklat

Theobroma cacao

Sterculiaceae

23 Nangka

Artocarpus heterophyllus

Moraceae

An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island 19

Plant survival rate

The success of the rehabilitation activities in this project is indicated by the percentage growing (survival rate) in the field during the project period. This figure compares the number of surviving seedlings with the total number planted in the field. This percentage was calculated after counts were taken of the plants during monitoring and evaluation.

From field observations, it can be seen that the percentage survival rate varied from one location to another, ranging from 30% to 99%. Collective data analysis indicated that the overall average survival rate for mangrove seedlings was relatively high at 74.3%, with a slightly lower rate of 73.3% for beach plants. These values were calculated by the technical team on the basis of Monev conducted at the end of the GC 1 project, in February 2007. The table below lists the percentage survival rates derived from the technical team’s monitoring.

Table 6. Percentage survival rates from rehabilitation activities during GC 1

% Survival No

Stretch /Local partners

Beach Mangroves

plants

A Simeulue

1 Yayasan Bangkit Simeulue (YBS), Simeulue -

2 Kelompok Tani Alafan Bahari, Simeulue -

3 Kelompok Tani Pantai Sibinuang -

4 Yayasan Manjago Vano, Simeulue

5 Yayasan Simeulue Lestari -

6 Kelompok Tani Penghijauan Pantai Samotalindungi

B West Coast

7 Pusat Pengembangan Potensi Pesisir dan Lautan, P4L, Meulaboh -

8 Forum Komunikasi Generasi Muda Aceh Barat, FK-GEMAB, Meulaboh -

9 Yayasan Peduli Lingkungan, YPL, Meulaboh -

10 Yayasan Pekat Indonesia (Pekat), Nagan Raya -

11 Lembaga Ekonomi Masyarakat (LEM) Maju Bersama , Aceh Barat -

12 Lembaga Ekonomi Masyarakat (LEM), Suak Seukee, Aceh Barat -

13 Lembaga Ekonomi Masyarakat (LEM) Ingin Makmur, Aceh Barat -

14 Aceh Partnership Foundation, APF, Banda Aceh -

15 Yayasan Pembela Petani dan Nelayan (PAPAN), Meulaboh

16 JIKMTs Kecamatan Kuala Kabupupaten Nagan Raya -

17 LEM Karya Mandiri Desa Suak Panteubreuh Kec. Samatiga Kab. Aceh Barat -

18 LEM Karya Tabina Desa Kampong Cot Kecamatan Samatiga -

95 Kabupaten Aceh Barat

19 Yayasan Gajah Sumatera (YaGaSu), Banda Aceh

20 An Assessment of Lessons Learnt from the “Green Coast Project” in NAD Province and Nias Island

% Survival No

Stretch/ /Local partners

Beach Mangroves

plants

C North Coast

20 UKM MIPRO Fakultas Kedokteran Hewan Unsyiah

21 Yayasan Gajah Sumatera (YaGaSu), Banda Aceh

22 KSM TUANKU, Banda Aceh -

23 Yayasan Karya Bersama (Yasma), Banda Aceh

24 Yayasan Hijau Semesta (YHS), Banda Aceh